Delhi constable had injuries, says post mortem report as row rages over his death

Clash between the Delhi police and the protesters, who were protesting against the gangrape of 23-year-old girl, at India Gate in New Delhi. Sanjeev Verma/HT

Protesters shield themselves as police beat them with sticks during a violent demonstration near India Gate against a gangrape of a student on a bus ...

A protestor screams against the tear gas shell lobbed at the protesters by police as violence erupted at India Gate, New Delhi. Vipin Kumar/ HT

People surround an injured demonstrator at India Gate during a protest that turned violent. Sanjeev Verma/ HT

A damaged car after the clash between agitated protesters and police at India Gate in New Delhi. Sanjeev Verma/ HT

Students shout slogans during the protest at Rajpath to demand justice for the gang rape victim. PTI Photo

A woman protester pelting stones at the police during a protest at India Gate in New Delhi. Sanjeev Verma/ HT

A protester clashes with the police at India Gate in New Delhi. Sanjeev Verma/HT

Demonstrators using a pole to chase away police during a protest at India Gate in New Delhi. Sanjeev Verma/ HT

Police arresting demonstrators during the protest for better safety for women following the rape of a student last week, in front the India Gate, New ...

A controversy raged on Wednesday over the cause of death of Constable Subhash Tomar during violent demonstrations last Sunday with eyewitnesses and a government hospital claiming there were no injuries on his person while the post mortem report contradicted these versions.

The Delhi Police late in the evening released excerpts of report of the post mortem done by a Board of Doctors in the the government Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, where he died yesterday.

Following contradictory versions, Delhi Police asked its Crime Branch to investigate the case in which murder charges have been invoked.

"Myocardial infarction (cardiac arrest) and its complications that could be precipitated by multiple ante-mortem (before death) injuries to neck and chest produced by blunt force impact," Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) K C Dwivedi said quoting from the report as the cause of 47-year-old Tomar's death.

The Delhi Police statement came on a day when various claims emerged about the cause of Tomar's death with two eye-witnesses claiming that they did not spot any injuries on his person when they tried to revive him after he collapsed near India Gate on Sunday during violent protests against the gangrape of a girl in a moving bus on December 16.

To add to this, Medical Superintendent of RML Dr TS Sidhu, said, there were "no major external injury marks except for some cuts and bruises. ..In all our records, there are no severe internal injuries recorded but the post-mortem will tell everything."

Tomar died on Tuesday, two days after he was admitted to RML Hospital in Delhi after he fell unconscious at India Gate as people protesting the gangrape of a 23-year-old woman clashed with the police.

However, RML doctors on Wednesday said that Tomar, who died on Tuesday, had no "major external injury" except for some cuts and bruises when he was brought to a hospital in a state of "total collapse" on Sunday.

Delhi Police has been maintaining that constable Tomar was injured by protesters near India Gate on Sunday when the protests against the gang-rape of a young girl turned violent.

"He came in a state of total collapse and our doctors revived him and as he was not stable, we shifted him to the Intensive Care Unit. He was on ventilator," Dr TS Sidhu, Medical Superintendent of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here, said.

He said there was no "major external injury marks except for some cuts and bruises".

Asked whether is it was a case of cardiac arrest, the doctor evaded a direct reply.

"I don't know. That is not my comment. He came, he was in serious shock and we revived him. In all our records, there are no severe internal injuries recorded but the post-mortem will tell everything," he said.

On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar had said that Tomar had suffered internal injuries on his neck, chest and stomach and that they were waiting for the post mortem report to ascertain the exact cause of his death. Tomar died on Tuesday morning.

On the other hand, a journalism student Yogendra, who claimed to be an eye-witness, contradicted police version that Constable Subhash Tomar was beaten up by protesters leading to his death, saying he fell down on his own.

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party demanded sacking of Commissioner Kumar alleging that police was misleading people by arresting eight "innocent youth" in connection with the incident.

"I was at India Gate with a female friend who was injured. I saw one policeman who was running after protesters and then suddenly collapsing. We rushed towards him and some policemen were also there. Suddenly, the policemen started running after other protesters," Yogendra said.

"So I rushed to a nearby PCR van. They took him to hospital. I also went in the same vehicle. I saw him in hospital and his body didn't have any injuries. He wasn't trampled by a mob, he wasn't assaulted. The claims of police are false. I am surprised to hear that 8 were arrested over Subhash Tomar's death," he claimed.